Tuesday, June 12, 2012

What's in a name?

Well, the puppy high is dampened now.

Last night I got this email:Please share... this is Elicia Calhoun and her dogs... Nica and Tobie are missing... Update on border collies in accident: In case you haven't been following, six dogs were thrown from the car of an internationally known agility trainer this morning after the vehicle they were riding in clipped an 18-wheeler and rolled twice. I don't know all the details, but 1 dog was killed on impact, 3 are at a clinic being treated, and 2 are missing in the desert. We are trying to find the two missing. There are several people out searching the deserts right now along the stretch of I-10 near mile marker 351 outside of Wilcox, AZ. If anyone else is in the area and can help, I'm sure they would be very grateful. The owner has checked herself out of the hospital (against orders, I'm sure) to find her dogs. The two missing are Tobie (far left) and Nica (2nd from right). I will update as I hear new information, but for now we just need to get people out there to help find them. It's a huge, vast area with temps soaring past 100 degrees, and I don't think the dogs are snake-trained. Time is of the essence! You can email me for more information at PetsWeekly@gmail.com. Here is the pic once more and thanks for all of your amazing support in sharing and getting word out so we can find these beautiful animals!

Terrible. Gut wrenching. Terrifying. I already hate cars and am in constant fear of accidents. I was in a horse trailer accident as a kid--the truck and trailer flipped down the side of the highway. It scarred me. A few weeks ago an olympic equestrian lost some horses in an accident. Now this. Geez. Elicia and her dogs are deeply in my prayers. I hope you'll think of them, too.

Then there's the name issue. It turns out this email isn't quite 100% accurate. "Nica" is actually an Aussie with a tail, but the real kicker is that her name is actually spelled Nika. Just like our little girl. Oh wait, there's more. This dog has represented the US in international competition. Then she lost an eye, but still kept doing agility. They called her Nika the one-eyed pirate dog. I watched a video of her running. She reminds me a lot of Jonah. It made me cry.

I could just think of her alone and scared out there in the heat of the desert. Awful.

Well, they found her. Dead. She got hit by a car on I-10. It's just so crazy. One minute you're an international agility dog, pampered by an excellent trainer. Then, hours later, you're hit by traffic. Who knows if the person even stopped. Probably not. Maybe it's best that way. I'm sure it was unavoidable, but man. The guilt of having hit and killed any dog...and then a dog of that caliber. And for her. Not the way to go. Fear, noise, lights, pain.

So where does that leave us? Here I am with an adorable, happy, bouncy little puppy. Should we change her name? I mean, I haven't filled out any of her registrations yet. Change the spelling? Nica would be more appropriate to her namesake, Thessalonica. My superstitious side wonders if it's an ominous name asking for a sad ending. Or are we honored to share the name with a fantastic champion? I think the later. It's just a little reminder of sadness right now. Luckily when she's awake it's hard to be sad in her presence.

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Jonah

Jonah is a 5 year old All-American who joined our family when he was about 18 months (June 2010). He was terrified of staplers, doorways, sticks, and men. We've learned agility together--first as a way to gain confidence, and now as a passion. He's steady and reliable, but struggles with reactivity and trial anxiety.

Nika

Nika, an English Shepherd, is the newest member of our family. She was born on April 14, 2012 and came to live with us at eight weeks. She is very bright, loves life to the fullest, and always keeps us on our toes! In agility, she has a lot of potential and we're learning to work as a team.